Paddle-wheel



A. FORT'IER.

PADDLE WHEEL. v APPLICATION man SEPT-$1918.

R. a E m T mm mm 3 m NF 1H Wm mm mm d L m A m Arm/Mix:

A. FORTIER.

PADDLE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 9. 191a.

Patentd Sept 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED STATES FATENT orrica.

PADDLE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Sept. 13, 1921.

Application filed September 9, 1918 Serial No. 253,297. 7

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED FORTIER, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Mayo Landing, in the Territory of Yukon and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paddle-Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improved paddle wheel which is especially adapted for use in shallow waters, and which embodies novel features of construction whereby a maximum degree of power and buoyancy is obtained and unnecessary resistance eliminated.

To this end the invention comprises propellers or paddle wheels, the paddles of which are so mounted as to enter the water at only a slight incline from the horizontal, thereby providing a lifting action, and to leave the water at substantially a vertical position so as not to offer resistance or lift the water as most wheels of the rigid paddle type do.

A further object of this invention is to provide automatically shiftable paddles so that upon reverse movement of the wheel said paddles will be shifted to assume the same angular position or relation to the water surface as held by the paddles previous to the reversal.

With the above and other objects in view, this .invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawin s, wherein:

igure 1 is a side elevation of a boat construction embodying my invention, portions of the guard being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a paddle wheel;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of a wheel frame support, showing one of the paddles more clearly and its extent of shifting movement.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 4-4: of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, 1 designates the hull of the boat and 2 the paddle wheels of which I preferably provide one forward and one aft at each side of the boat. Each wheel is mounted upon the bearing 3 for its crank shaft a and all of said shafts are driven by a suitable prime mover. In order to control the dip of the wheels according to paddle wheel -a cross rod acting as a the draft of the boat, I employ suitable means for raising and lowering the shafts 4:,1'118 form of suchmeanshere illustrated belng adjusting screws 6 cooperating with the shaft bearings.

At each side of the boat is constructed a housing 7 which includes sectional covers extending over the paddle wheels, as indicated at 8. At the forward end of the boat and across the entrances to the flumes are stretched protective nets 9 designed to prevent floating matter from passing 1nto the fiumes and thereby causing damage to the wheels. The edges of the housings have steel shoes 10 and at the stern of the boat there is provided a rudder at each side just in rear of the respective fiumes. Such disposition of said rudders 11 very materially increases the effectiveness of the steering operation owing to force of themovement of the water through the flumes under the action of the wheels.

Passing now to the description of the construction, which embodies the invention sought to be claimed in this application, it will be observed from Figs. 2 and 3 that the frame elements include the usual radial spokes 12, the inner and outer ring members 13, 14: and the cross rods 15. Each of the paddles 16 is swingingly connected at one end to the inner ring member 13 at 17 its other end extending slightly beyond the outer ring member and abutting stop therefor. Slidably mounted on the wheel frame, and retained by keepers 18 is a connecting ring 19 having a pin and slot connection with each paddle substantially centrally of its lateral edge. In the normal driving position of these paddles they lie in the full line position shown in Fig.3 but immediately the wheel is reversed the contacting action of the paddles with the water causes them to swing into the dotted line position shown in said figure where they occupy substantially the same angular position relatively speaking as in the forward movement. Obviously they afford the same driving power in either direction of movement of the vessel and the shifting movement of the paddles takes place simultaneously by virtue of their common connection, at the first stroke of the wheel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

A paddle wheel for boats, including spaced and opposed end members formed with radial arms, corresponding concentric rings carried by the end members, transverse rods connecting the outer concentric rings, paddles pivotally connected to the inner concentric rings and extending outwardly between the cross rods so that the cross rods Will form stops for the paddles as they swing back and forth into opposite angular positions, a rotatable ring loosely connected With the paddles for causing a simultaneous shifting thereof, and guide means upon the end members loosely receiving the rotatable ring, the pivotal mounting of the paddles'enabling them to shift automatically into an opposite angular position When the direction of rotation of the Wheel is reversed and the paddles being arranged in either instance to enter the Water substantially flatwise and leave the Water substantially edgewise.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

ALFRED FORTIER. 

